Illinois-Oklahoma: Recap!

January 3rd.

So we aimed to leave at 8am and we left by 10 (as promised). But no worries as the Rudzinskis are excellent speeders! We hit up the World's Largest Ketchup Bottle in a very foggy Collinsville, IL where I preceded to flick off the people who stared at us as we stood as the only people taking photos in front of the bottle. We went right through St. Louis (saw a very foggy Arch) and didn't stop until the sun poked through and we found a Missouri State Park where we ran and jumped around for an hour and got our shoes all muddy. It smelled earthy and wonderful. I named my walking stick Emeril. I guess we were there too long if I was naming sticks.
We pulled off a couple of times for some photo opportunities with Teepees and giant fake Elephants and just drove and drove all the way to "The World's Best Bbq" in Springfield, MO which made everyone feel ... not so good. We made it to Tulsa, Oklahoma and crashed for the night. We briefly considered staying at a little place just outside of Tulsa called "The Elm Inn" or more affectionately known as "The Bates Motel" for $25 a night and the possibility that your car might not be there in the morning. We stayed at a Motel 6 and lived to see another day!